Each
club has a unique pricing structure for our member events.
Whether you wish to make a pricing decision based on profit
or on marketing strategy, be fair to the member. The reputation
you will achieve for the club, cellar, service and culinary
staff is a prime consideration for keeping the event's pricing
competitive, not punitive.
Plan
specific measures for the wine to be poured with each course.
Depending on how numerous your wine selections are, adjust
the measures of your pours to adhere to an appropriate level.
Plan to keep the consumption per individual to no more than
3/4 of a bottle during the evening. As the better and therefore
more costly wines tend to be served near the end of the
dinner, your guests should be able to discern a qualitative
difference in the wines served.
Bottle
costs maybe divided directly by the number of portions per
bottle for budgetary purposes. For example, a four-ounce
serving of wine would mean six portions of wine per 750ml
bottle. If the bottle cost or sales price is $25, the cost
per portion would be $4.17 ($25/6 portions) to be figured
into the event price. Repeat the portioning with every wine
to be served and add them up to account in the budget.
A
word on the role of the cellar in pricing. Nothing makes
you feel worse than when the distributor comes to your door
in advance of the event to sell you the marquee 1986 vintage
for a usurious markup. Nothing makes you feel better than
by telling him that particular wine is resting comfortably
in your cellar at one fifth of his cost. Your members will
be amazed that you carry the wine and that the cost of the
dinner is not stratospherically expensive. Now, of course
you can account for the time value of money in developing
your menu price. You may even wish to add a markup to the
dinner price to account for a (gasp) profit motive. You
will, however, still charge your members less for that bottle
of wine than they will be able to find on the open market,
especially in restaurants. For that, your members will be
eternally grateful.
You
may elect to serve an aperitif prior to a dinner event.
For budgetary purposes, plan on one serving per person for
every 1/2 hour of cocktails. Lighter wines or sparkling
wines serve this purpose admirably for not a lot of cost.
Another thought is to serve a light local beverage in the
spirit of the evening. Serve Compari with a dinner based
on Italian wines. Kir made from an aligoté wine and
a dash of cassis would do well to preface a focus on Burgundian
wines.
The
service staff should have an accurate measure to follow
as a pouring guide. Set up a sample glass with the appropriate
amount of water portioned into the glass. Servers would
then have a guide against over pouring an expensive wine.
Remind them of the appropriate level every time they pour
the wine.
Plan
to cover at least a cost plus labor for the food. Another
way to phrase the issue is "do not under-fund the menu."
Notwithstanding the fact that great wines will be impressive
no matter the accompaniment, make sure to give the culinary
staff a platform to present a complete package and the service
staff the consideration to present the food and wine properly
and promptly. In these events, let the chef be the star.
Include him in discussions on matching, particularly if
he was involved in tasting of the wines prior to designing
the menu. Introduce the chef at the end of the program to
ensure he and his key staff receive recognition and to aid
in the marketing of the club's star chef. The service staff
should also be saluted for their contributions.
Many
companies make a fortune on producing specific glassware
for wine varietals. Riedel is a company that has defined
this product and is now copied by many glassware producers.
However, most tastings simply require an all-purpose glass
for all wines concerned. A major consideration for the glassware
is for a closed mouth. The sole reason is the allowance
of the glass to focus the wine's bouquet into the taster's
olfactory sense. The olfactory sense is the major tasting
component (Case in point: the last time you drank wine with
a stuffy nose).
Glassware
should be clean and free of spots for visual evaluation.
Plan on one glass per wine and place all of the glassware
on the table prior to seating. For service and timing considerations,
do not attempt to place glassware on the table during the
tasting. Glassware may be rented from companies if extra
stock is required.
Should
you have appropriate stock, place glassware befitting the
portion size of the wine being poured. A two-ounce portion
of wine in a twenty-four-ounce balloon glass appears meager.
In particular, an ounce and a half portion of dessert wine
or port in a glass larger than eight ounces suffers the
same fate.
Some
tastings, especially blind tastings, require marking the
glasses for participants to compare. Use of a numbering
system may be accomplished with tags or a dry erase marker
that will be applied directly to the stem of the glassware.
Formal tastings within specific groups need differentiation.
As you plan to pour more wines, the need for a marking system
increases.
Decorations
should be kept rather simple for the event. Fragrant flowers
compete with the wine for your sense of smell. If you are
making the matching of food and wine the premier activity,
remove salt and pepper from the table. You may wish to make
water served upon request only. Don't offer pepper with
courses, the idea being that the chef has made a course
to match perfectly with the wine.
A
menu and tasting notes should be provided for the participants
of the tasting. The menu serves as a guide to the wines
and, in a practical sense, illuminates the proper spelling
and pronunciation for the wines offered. The ability to
identify and pronounce the wine at a later date might be
a key in having your membership order the wine from your
list.
The
club should provide a tasting sheet and writing instrument
from the club to allow evaluation of the wines presented.
Evaluation occurs on four sensory characteristics: sight,
smell, taste and mouth feel. A twenty-point scale is a generally
accepted standard in the wine industry. Five points are
awarded for each of the four characteristics. Tally the
scores from each characteristic and compare them to the
other wines. Space for written notes should complete each
section. Refer to the sample tasting sheet attached.
